Rain and a little bit of lightning did not faze the almost 2,500 runners and 350 dogs that joined the fourth edition of the Green Run at Vermosa Estates in Imus, Cavite, Sunday, June 29.
The multi-level run, which first took off in 2022 at the 750-hectare Ayala Land property south of the metro, continued to draw families, casual runners, and elite athletes to its various race categories: the 21K half-marathon, the 10K, 5K, and 3K intermediate distances. The crowd favorite 1K Dog Run lets fur parents bond and run free with their pets amid the lush yet well-paved surroundings of Vermosa Estates.
The first Vermosa Green Run invited people to “go out, lace up, mask up and run for a greener tomorrow” in 2022, encouraging them to get active and re-discover the great outdoors after a three-year pandemic lockdown. It spearheaded the return to open air, face to face activities with the environment and sustainability-themed Run. True to its thrust, Vermosa Estates actively promotes physical activity and a healthy lifestyle.
Conducted by sports and fitness event organizer Pinoy Fitness, the first Green Run advocated for a greener tomorrow and supported Haribon Foundation’s Adopt-A-Seedling Program. Green Run 2025 still supports the Haribon Foundation and has added animal welfare group Pawssion Project and Takbo Kabitenyo, a running group that develops young athletes for local and international competitions, as beneficiaries. During the registration period, participants and guests were encouraged to bring their used plastics so they can be repurposed and converted into building materials for sustainable pathways and benches.
Considered by running regulars as “the most scenic run”, Angel Montevirgen from Cavite and a member of Takbo Kabitenyo said the running community looks forward to this run yearly. “It’s a lifestyle that you immerse yourself in and becomes a part of you. You look forward to it and get the right motivation for it – whether that be new clothes, new gear, new shoes or seeing friends and getting fit. It’s an opportunity to enjoy not only the benefits of running, but also the group camaraderie and being part of the whole running community.”
Pinoy Fitness Inc. founder and president Jeff Lo was very pleasantly surprised by the huge turnout of runners and pet dogs despite the threat of rain. “Runners actually enjoy running in the rain. It’s cooler, mas masaya. And I’m confident about Vermosa (as a running venue) because even if it rains, the roads are well-paved, safe and walang lubak. It’s a very green, very clean, very scenic venue – quite different from other runs. It’s fun and refreshing to see a venue where runners can actually go all out and enjoy themselves while finishing their runs.”
“I think the vision of Vermosa is to be the greener place to run,” Lo surmised. “You don’t just run races here, by the way. Runners and fitness enthusiasts can come and run here anytime, day or night – for free. They can run, train or just enjoy the outdoors. The Green Run itself is like a culmination of all the running activities you do here – an event that you look forward to that lets you experience closed roads and competing with others, for fun or for competition.”
Chrissy Roa, Ayala Land Estates’ Marketing and Communications group head explained that “Each step you take at the Vermosa Green Run supports a bigger cause. The Run advocates fitness and overall wellness, sustainability, and community support into one meaningful event.”
Now an established benchmark for purpose-driven lifestyle events, the Vermosa Green Run reinforces Ayala Land’s long-term vision for sustainability, using fitness as a powerful catalyst for environmental and social impact.
